Community Policing Resolution

Posted on August 29, 2014

Community Policing Resolution

Whereas: We Democratic Municipal Officials are deeply saddened by racial profiling in this country which has led to many black men being victims of intimidation, harassment and violence. Further that some of these innocent individuals including Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin have tragically and needlessly lost their lives, causing untold sadness and loss for their families, friends, and community;

Whereas: President Obama stated after the incident in Ferguson, Mo., “We are united in common values and that includes a belief in equality under the law, a basic respect for public order and the right to peaceful public protest; a reverence for the dignity of every single man, woman, and child among us and the need for accountability when it comes to our government”;

Whereas: As local elected officials we are challenged to rigorously advance policies that reflect the best of our American values: treating every individual as worthy of dignity and respect, according liberty and justice for all;

Whereas: We entrust out police and other local law enforcement officials with the authority and responsibility to protect and serve us and we appreciate that the overwhelming majority of police officers serve with honor and integrity;

Whereas: Across America racial profiling and stop and frisk policies alienate people in targeted communities--particularly our youth of color whose only substantive encounter with a law enforcement officer is too often to be pulled over for driving while brown or stopped and frisked for walking while black;

Whereas: We local elected officials are responsible to assure that our law enforcement officials are properly trained to safeguard the entire community;

Further: We recognize that to be effective in a community that the officers in the police force must reflect the diversity of that community;

Whereas: A national shift occurred post September 11, 2001 changing the emphasis in policing from community work toward militarization, ostensibly to fight drug cartels and terrorists. And that this shift has usurped many common sense community policing practices;

Whereas: We fully support the tenets of community policing where peace officers engage in outreach to neighborhoods, visit elementary schools, youth groups and local business and lead in the building of coalitions to promote safety;

Resolved: We as the elected leaders of our local communities recommit our communities to promoting meaningful community policing, improving training, and engaging with law enforcement officials and all members of our cities and towns to accomplish this end;

Further resolved: That we as local elected officials will seek to assure that the police force reflects the diverse racial, ethnic, gender, and religious make-up of our communities;

Be it further resolved: In concert with the DNC, we members of the Democratic Municipal Officials organization call for a national examination of the state of policing across America so that practices such as militarized policing are minimized; that there be an immediate end to racial profiling and that officers be appropriately trained to profile criminal behaviors, not personal characteristics such as race, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation or identity.